In recent years, farmers have begun to recognize and appreciate the importance of ensuring accurate and consistent spacing of seeds in the furrow to improve crop yields. To ensure more accurate in-furrow seed placement, farmers have begun attaching various types of tools or appurtenances, such as seed deflectors and seed firmers, to the seed tube of the planter to minimize in-furrow seed bounce or roll.
Examples of various types of seed deflectors adapted to be mounted directly to the seed tube are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,533,374 issued to Hyland; U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,255 issued to Long et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,283,050 issued to Schaffert. Examples of various types of seed firmers adapted to be secured directly to the seed tube are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,425,318 and 5,673,638 issued to Eugene G. Keeton, commercial embodiments of which, known as the Keeton™ seed firmers, are manufactured and distributed by Precision Planting, Inc., 23207 Townline Road, Tremont, Ill. 61568. The specifications and drawings of each of the above-identified patents are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference and such seed deflectors and seed firmers are collectively referred to hereinafter as “resilient tools.”
Attaching resilient tools directly to the seed tube, is often time consuming and difficult due to the confined space. Furthermore, attaching resilient tools directly to the seed tube can place undue stress on the seed tube if the resilient tool makes soil contact during planting operations. Resilient tools, such as the Keeton™ firmer, for example are particularly designed to contact the bottom of the bottom of the seed furrow to embed the seed into the soil as the firmer passes over the seed. While embedding the seed into the soil ensures more seed-to-soil contact resulting in more consistent and uniform seed germination, if the resilient tool is attached directly to the seed tube, the necessary force exerted by the resilient tool required to embed the seeds often places stress on the seed tube.
To avoid stress on the seed tube during planting operations when using a resilient tool, such as the Keeton™ seed firmer, for example, Precision Planting, Inc., developed two different styles of bracket assemblies as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 for attaching the resilient tool operably to the planter frame as opposed to the seed tube. The two different styles were designed to accommodate the different planter styles and configurations. For example, the bracket assembly style shown in FIG. 2, is adapted for use with all John Deere planters and Kinze planters prior to the 3000 series and is designed to attach to the transverse shaft of the furrow opening discs and to the seed tube guard. The bracket assembly of FIG. 3, is particularly adapted for use on all Kinze planters and John Deere 7000 series planters and is designed to mount to the row unit frame rearwardly of, but in substantial alignment with, the seed tube. Thus, both bracket assemblies of FIGS. 2 and 3 firmly support the resilient tool in substantial alignment with the seed tube operably from the planter frame such that no stress is exerted on the seed tube by the resilient tool during planting operations.
Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in response to increase farmer demand resulting from the advent of new liquid fertilizers developed for application directly into the seed furrow, Precision Planting, Inc. adapted the bracket assemblies to support liquid conduits for in-furrow liquid application. However, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the present bracket assemblies cause sharp bends in the liquid applicator tubes. It has been found that sharp bends in the applicator tubes may cause restriction in the flow of the liquid fertilizers, and, over time, the liquid fertilizers can congeal at these sharp bends, further restricting the flow through the liquid applicator tubes.
Furthermore, at least with respect to the bracket assembly of FIG. 2, it has been found that the mounting ears that attach the bracket assembly to the axle of the furrow opening discs, which are made of thermoplastic material, may eventually wear, break or tear after extended periods of use, requiring replacement of the bracket assembly.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved bracket assembly that overcomes the problems and disadvantages of existing bracket assemblies, but which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and which offers the ability to support a variety of in-furrow appurtenances.
Furthermore, because the planter structure will often vary from manufacture to manufacturer and between manufacturer models, it is desirable to provide a bracket assembly that may be adapted for use with most planters.